A buck for Barry

There is something about a fallow buck that gets my blood pumping - probably initiated by my friendship with the late deer hunting guide, Barry Nelis. Barry was an experienced hunter, having travelled to many exotic destinations, and was a wealth of information.

During my treks to the Mary Valley in South East Queensland, I would make a point of catching up with Barry. He was a real larrikin of a man, who loved a joke and a good yarn and was rambunctious in his story telling. Barry was never one for allowing truth to be an obstacle to a great story, intriguing his audiences with a wonderfully humorous account of his latest narrative.

As we were both ex-servicemen, when we sat down for a coffee he might begin with a yarn from his past, when he served in the RAAF, knowing I would be able to relate to it because of my years spent in the force. However, invariably the conversations would circle back to hunting. He'd talk